


All I want for Christmas (Is not to go to work)

by digthewriter



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Office Romance, Pining, Secret Crush, WinterKnights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21727093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digthewriter/pseuds/digthewriter
Summary: Arthur and Merlin are co-workers and are assigned with putting the holiday party together because Uther said so. Morgana is missing her boyfriend who is travelling across the globe and Uther wants everyone to not only work during Christmas day but also throw a party for Morgana.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 177
Collections: WinterKnights 2019 - a Merlin Winter/Holiday Fest





	All I want for Christmas (Is not to go to work)

**Author's Note:**

> **Contains** : Modern!AU. Pining. Happy ending.  
>  **Disclaimer:** Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Merlin loved his job. There was no doubt about it; the mission of the company (along with the name: _We're Listening_ ) was brilliant. He loved the actual work—the phone calls, sometimes getting to talk to people late into the night, and trying to help them. He wasn't the best operator they had, simply because it wasn't why he was hired for, but he wasn't the worst either.

The phone operators dealt with calls ranging from lonely folks wanting a chat all the way to it becoming a suicide help line. 

Most days were brilliant. 

Most days. 

One of his mates from University had got him the job and even though he hadn't been at "We're Listening" for that long, he knew he was getting better at it every day. 

Most people logged in the calls they received and the work they provided. It was Merlin's job to analyse the data and everything else that came along with it. It was, actually, a lot of fun to go to development meetings, present his graphs and charts, and work with Gwen to write grants to get more money to help more people. Eventually, even branch out to other parts of the country. 

What he didn't love about it was how he'd totally developed a crush on his boss's brother. Also, the Chief Operating Officer's son: Arthur Pendragon. 

Arthur was all kinds of annoying with his perfect hair, a million pound smile, and his more than toned body. Yes, okay, so maybe Merlin had seen him at the gym once, and then maybe he'd followed Arthur to the changing rooms. (And then he'd made the mistake to tell Gwaine about it, and now Gwaine wouldn't shut up about how much Merlin loved the gym.) 

_"Funny, I've never seen you there apart from that one time…"_ Arthur had said. 

That one time, where Merlin had all but accidentally stalked Arthur. Now, he made sure he went on days Arthur was working late, or either way early in the morning so Arthur wouldn't run into him. Merlin was well aware of how Arthur was not a morning person. 

There were perks to hearing your boss rant on and on about her annoying little brother. 

Despite everything, Merlin was more than certain his crush on Arthur was extremely mild. And eventually, it would go away. Sure, Arthur was cute, but he was also kind of a prat. He often stayed locked up in his office, looking over data, and only bothered Merlin when he found a mistake or two. Or had "questions." 

On top of everything else, he flirted with Gwen without any shame. 

It was common knowledge around the office their water guy, Lance, fancied Gwen. He'd only come into the office on the days she was working, and somehow always knew Gwen's schedule, and Gwen would blush like a schoolgirl whenever she'd hear his voice. Everyone was taking bets on when he was finally going to ask her out. Everyone but Arthur, apparently, who thought it was totally okay to flirt with her in front of Lance, and string her along. 

_"You know Arthur's mostly gay, right?"_ Gwaine often asked Merlin when he would get frustrated by Arthur's behaviour. 

_"Well, does she know that? Does Lance? I can tell it clearly bothers Lance—"_

_"Yes, it _clearly_ bothers Lance." _

And what did "mostly gay" mean, anyway? 

*

It was a week until Christmas and Merlin was excited for the holiday. He was looking forward to finally taking a little bit of a break from his fundraising projects and tuning out. His mother and his best friend Will were going to visit him for a few days, and Merlin knew he'd have to leave his obsession with work behind. The more he talked about work, the more questions they asked about Arthur, and that was a path Merlin did not want to walk on. 

When he walked into the office, he made a mental note of looking up things to do in Camelot for their visit. Maybe a show, a few dinners in posh restaurants, and even going to a club with Will. It'd been ages since Merlin had been to a club. His early morning gym routine didn't leave him very many options of partying all night. 

"I don't believe it!" Gwen said to Merlin as she came and plopped on the sofa in the employee lounge while Merlin was busy making coffee. 

"What's the matter?" 

"Uther wants us to work on Christmas!" she shrieked. 

"What?" Merlin nearly screamed in return. How could this be? It surely had to be illegal somehow. 

"Yeah, we can thank Morgana for that!" Gwen huffed. 

"Gwen, what are you saying? I don't understand…" Merlin brought his coffee mug and sat down next to Gwen who was staring at a piece of paper, which turned out to be an interoffice memo. 

"Uther sent me an email this morning saying I have to write a company wide memo asking our staff who don't have out-of-town plans for Christmas to come in on the twenty fifth for work. He told me to keep it confidential, but…" she lowered her voice and leaned closer to Merlin, "Morgana is depressed because Leon is travelling doing his Nurses Without Borders but she won't tell anyone about it. She doesn't want to be home alone for Christmas so he wants us all to work and organise a holiday party for all the staff. He wants me to find volunteers. Can you believe that?" 

"That's got to be illegal," said Merlin. 

"Well, the memorandum is going to state it's strictly voluntary but we all know— if Uther wants us to do something on a voluntary basis—" 

"We don't have a choice." Merlin felt resigned and placed his coffee mug on the table in front of him so he could bury his head in his hands. What was he going to do? He knew he had to work until the twenty third in the office but if he had to work on Christmas Day, what would happen to the plans with his mum and Will?

*

Just as Merlin was wrapping his head around the idea he was going to be stuck at work for the holiday, Arthur barged into the employee lounge.

"Gwen!" Arthur sounded concerned. When he looked at Merlin, he straightened up. "Merlin." He cleared his throat and looked at Gwen again. "Father tells me I need to help you with the Christmas party plans."

"Right…" Gwen drawled, sounding annoyed but looking extremely calm. Merlin wondered if Arthur picked up on that. Did he know her as well as Merlin did? "You're going to help?"

"I know what you're thinking, we won't get any work done, but I'm obligated to help you. And we'll need a committee. I've already recruited Gwaine."

"Brilliant." This time she looked the part of being thoroughly annoyed. She turned to Merlin and gave him a pleading look. "Merlin, will you join the committee?"

"Committee for what?" Merlin asked, confused.

"Of volunteers to organise the Christmas party. It isn't very far away so if we divided up the tasks, I'm sure we'll be able to manage it."

"Me?" Merlin asked, almost shocked.

"And we have to keep it a secret from Morgana. When it's announced we're all going to be coming into the office, she can't know we're throwing her a party."

"Well, it's hardly only for her…" Gwen started to say but then Arthur gave her a look. "Of course, it's _just_ for her." She shook her head as if trying to tell herself: _What was I thinking?_

She stood up off the sofa and looked down at Merlin. "I'll send the first emails and see how many volunteers I get, but I don't think very many people are going to sign up. Everyone's busy shopping for presents and they're not going to have time to do extra work."

Merlin nodded. He hadn't said yes to volunteering, but he knew if Gwen was asking, he couldn't say no. Even if he had to sit in the planning meeting with Arthur.

*

As it was predicted, no one in the company was happy about working on Christmas Day. Usually, they would have a skeleton crew remain in the office on holidays, but that wasn't more than five people. But now, over fifty people were requested to come to work. And to plan a party for so many disgruntled workers was going to be difficult.

Merlin wasn't exactly senior management, but he wasn't on the entry-level, either. He co-supervised a small team in development with Gwen, and they were all complaining to him about the unbelievable expectations Uther was placing on them.

For the rest of the day, Merlin nodded along, and listened to all his coworkers grumble and protest, all the while knowing he couldn't exactly do anything to help them.

"We're going to have a party, and it'll be fun," Merlin told Stacey, one of the women who sat next to him in the office.

Only three people had their own office space with a door, Morgana, Arthur, and Gwen. Everyone else sat on the first level in the open space and shared everything.

"Yes, and who is going to be organising the party? The women, I'm going to guess! Of course, they think women have all the time in the world to do this shite—"

"Don't worry!" Gwaine came by their desks and placed his arm around Merlin's shoulder. "Merlin and I are doing all the work. The only woman helping us is Gwen and she's the one telling us what to do. Trust us."

Stacey scoffed. "Trust you?"

Merlin watched as Gwaine raised an eyebrow.

"Gwaine, I don't trust you to know how to wipe your own arse. But, Merlin? I do trust him. So fine. I won't make up a fake holiday plan and say I'm leaving town but this better be worth it."

"I don't know if I can promise that," Merlin said honestly. "But, I can tell you we're going to try our best to make sure everyone's happy at work. Maybe?" He didn't sound very convincing and it was evident by the reaction on Stacey's face.

Before anyone could say anything, Merlin's computer chimed indicating he had a new internal-email message. He turned away, Gwaine's arm still on his shoulder, and opened the window. It was a message from Arthur telling him, Gwaine, and Gwen to meet in the conference room for planning.

"Gods, Gwaine. You're breathing on me," Merlin said trying to shake Gwaine's hold off him. No doubt he was reading Merlin's email too.

"Interesting," Gwaine said softly and Merlin turned to look at him. Gwaine's gaze was up to the second level where the corporate offices were. Arthur was standing there staring down at them. His expression was blank, and he continued to look at them for about five more seconds. Eventually, he walked away towards the conference room.

"Best go to the meeting," said Merlin.

"I don't think the boss likes me touching you."

This time, it was Merlin's turn to scoff. "You're extra with everyone in the office. I'm no one special."

*

The party planning was relatively straightforward. They had five people on the team: Merlin, Gwen, Arthur, Gwaine, and Vivian. Merlin had a sneaky suspicion she'd only joined because she fancied Gwaine. She was absolutely shit with organisation but good on the phone. She wouldn't be any help in actually planning the festivities.

"So, we have to figure out three main things. Decorations. Presents. And the food," Gwen said.

"Easy, we'll do catering," said Arthur.

"Why not a bring and share?" Vivian asked.

"No. I'm not asking anyone here to cook or bring a dessert on top of coming to work on Christmas Day." 

"I think it could be fun," Vivian said.

Merlin watched as Arthur took in a deep breath, he could tell the question annoyed Arthur but was impressed at how Arthur managed to keep his cool. "I don't disagree. But, I am not asking our staff to do extra work. Tell me, Vivian, how do you feel about bringing something for the party? We'll need a list running of who is bringing in what, and who is allergic to what ingredients. This will have to happen online on either google sheets or other form and everyone will need to take a few minutes out of their day to find out what's someone else brining and what they would need to make. All of this on top of keeping this entire party a secret from Morgana. Your supervisor."

"Oh," Vivian said making a face and sat up straight. "Right. That doesn't sound like any fun at all."

"Right." Arthur turned his attention towards Gwen.

Merlin had to admit this side of Arthur—was kind of sexy. _No, it was not sexy. What is wrong with you, Merlin? You're not supposed to like him more!_

"We'll do curry and Italian. I can work with someone on taking orders and collect it online—"

"Don't look at me, I'm bad at computers," Gwaine said, his hands going up in surrender.

"Same," said Vivian.

"You should get Merlin to do it. He's our data expert. I'm sure he'll have graphs and charts of everyone's favourite dish by the end of tomorrow." Gwaine patted Merlin on the back and Merlin wanted to look annoyed.

Instead, he only nodded.

"Brilliant," Arthur said, sounding unenthusiastic.

"You're not bad at computers," Merlin said softly towards Gwaine. "I could show you how to manage a database."

"Yeah, you'd like it, wouldn't you?" Gwaine winked at Merlin and then gave Vivian a huge grin. "Merlin's kind of in love with me."

At that, Merlin did release a small groan. "You're infuriating."

"If we can focus…" Arthur said.

"Right! Sorry, sir."

"Sir?" Everyone in the room who wasn't Merlin said at the same time.

"Bad habit. You know, you're the boss and all."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at Merlin. "How many times I've asked you to call me Arthur? Please don't call me sir, especially in front of my father, he'll unfortunately become incredibly impressed and we can't have that."

Everyone around the table chuckled and Merlin felt like he was at a loss for a joke which evidently everyone else was in on.

Merlin was at a loss for words so he remained quiet. He decided to start writing his thoughts about creating the online form to email everyone in the office and asking their preference over curry vs Italian, and a separate section for allergies. 

"I'll be in charge of decorations!" Gwaine announced standing up for theatrics. "Mistletoe everywhere." He looked down at Merlin and made a kissing face. 

"Please, no!" Merlin protested but it seemed Vivian was as excited about decorations as Gwaine. She screamed a _Yes!_

"Brilliant, so we'll need to figure out presents. We could do Secret Santa where everyone has an online wish list so whoever we get, we don't have to stress over buying them a present. It'll be point and click," Gwen said. "I could be in charge of that." 

"I don't want anything," Merlin said. "Will and Mum are always going on and on about how much _stuff_ I already have. It's not my fault everyone gets me Star Trek or Doctor Who memorabilia and I don't have the heart to throw or give it away." 

"Oh, Will's coming!" Gwen said, excited. "It's been ages since I've seen him." 

"Yeah," Merlin said smiling. "It'll be great. This long-distance thing is killing me." 

Merlin looked around the room as he'd realised he'd shared something private about himself in front of two people who didn't know him at all. Sure he worked with Arthur and Vivian but he wasn't _friends_ with them as he was with Gwen or Gwaine for that matter. 

"Sorry. I shouldn't talk about my—" 

"That's fine!" Arthur said. "Sorry you'll be working instead of spending time with your long-distance boyfriend." 

"No," Merlin said and Gwen and Gwaine started to laugh immediately. 

"Will is straight. He's my best friend. We grew up in Ealdor together but I moved here for Uni and then stayed. He stayed in Ealdor to work on the family business. But now he's a free agent as the company got sold for a huge profit. He has all the time in the world to travel and look for a new job. I think…" Merlin paused for a moment, dumbfounded he hadn't thought of it soon. "I could bring him to volunteer on Christmas Eve; Mum even! They could help with decorations and maybe Will's gonna make more friends." 

Merlin was always very conscious of how much he talked. Often considering himself a nerd and hiding behind a computer and numbers, he tend to become quickly embarrassed when he went on one of his rambling tirades. He stiffened up, and added, "So, I'll go and start creating a cloud-based survey for the staff that's going to be working, then?" 

*

Merlin spent most of the rest of his workday doing a report for the head of the marketing department, and creating the online survey for his co-workers. Once the survey was done, he sent an email to Arthur asking him to review it.

Arthur replied fifteen minutes later.

>> _Looks good. Thank you for taking the time to do this, Merlin. I know it's not part of your job description. Let me take you out for some chips as a thank you. <<  
_

To say Merlin was surprised by the invitation was an understatement. Most of the times, Arthur barely looked at him. They only communicated in meetings and it was almost always about work.

 _Except for that one time when Gwaine told Arthur he and Merlin went to the same gym and Arthur had asked about his workout routine_.

Yeah, not a fun conversation. Merlin's workout routine was _try not to die_.

Merlin wondered if he needed to talk this out with someone but he didn't know who. He couldn't speak to Gwaine, who would probably blow this out of proportion. And he didn't want to talk to Gwen because he wasn't _that_ kind of gay.

Hence, he decided to text Will.

_-M: This bloke I work with asked me out for chips.  
-W: I hope there's beer, too.  
-M: That's not helpful.  
-W: Do you fancy him?  
-M: I dunno. I mean, he's not bad on the eyes.  
-W: And he asked YOU?  
-M: HEY!  
-W: It's just chips. Unless it's the Dragon fellow… Is it?  
-M: Pendragon. Yes, it's Arthur. He wants to thank me for being good at my job.  
-W: Maybe he wants to give you a promotion.  
-M: You're disgusting. Sometimes, you're worse than Gwaine.  
-W: So do you want to shag him or do you think he wants to shag you?  
-M: He thought you were my boyfriend.  
-W: If only you were so lucky. _

Conversing with Will led nowhere. He thought about messaging Percy. He was one of Merlin's oldest friends and was the one who had given Merlin the tip about his job. And if he texted Percy, surely, Gwaine would be super jealous.

It would be a sweet revenge on Gwaine who teased Merlin about Arthur all the time.

But before Merlin could message Percy and ask him for his advice, Merlin's notifications went berserk. Everyone was putting in their orders for the food for the Christmas party at the office, and a good few of them were emailing him saying it was great they were going to do a catered affair. The last thing they wanted was to cook for their co-workers.

Merlin could sympathise. He thought about how he was going to invite Will and his mum to help with decorations on Christmas Eve so when Morgana came to work on Christmas Day, it would be all set up for her. Perhaps others could bring their family members or show up to decorate—especially those who didn't have someone for Christmas.

The whole point for their job was to keep company to those that were lonely, and it wouldn't be totally far-fetched some of the people around them felt the same way.

Stressed and confused, the end of the day arrived, and Merlin still had not replied to Arthur. 

Short of the staff who did the shift switch to monitor the phones, almost everyone had left for the day. Merlin looked up one level where Arthur's offices were and saw him walk out with his things. He was buttoning up his coat when Merlin called out to him.

"Hey!"

 _Hey?_ Thought Merlin. _HEY?!_

"Merlin. Didn't know you were still here," Arthur said, walking down the stairs.

"Yes. Sorry I didn't get a chance to reply to your email. I got bombarded with messages."

"Oh yeah, that," Arthur said looking like he was trying to remember what Merlin was talking about. "Me too. Loads of people so glad we're going to cater for the night when we're doing the decorations, and for the party itself." 

"Yes. And the orders are flying in. I think we might be able to call the restaurants tomorrow and get it all sorted."

"I was actually going to pop over to Alfredo's tonight to give them a head's up about the big order. They should be able to handle it."

"You know the owner at Alfredo's?" Merlin asked, trying not to sound impressed. It was one of his favourite Italian restaurants in Camelot. He swore they put some sort of an addictive drug in the Gnocchi because he kept going back for more. It was also why he'd had to join the gym. He was eating way too much pasta.

"The General Manager is a friend. He's actually— Never mind, I probably shouldn't tell you."

"What?" Merlin asked, so curious he couldn't stop himself. "You have to tell me." He gently tapped Arthur on the shoulder. "Come on! I'm a glutton for gossip."

"You know Lance?" Arthur asked.

"The water guy?" Merlin replied.

"Yeah. It's his cousin's wife's family's restaurant. They're originally from a place called Brusaporto?" Arthur said shrugging. "It's near Milan. So I'm told."

"I… have so many questions," Merlin said. And he did. How did Arthur know Lance? Just from the fact that he delivered water to their office? Did he know about Lance's crush on Gwen? On top of everything else, Arthur was friends with Lancelot's cousin's wife's family?

"I'm afraid I won't be answering any of those questions at work," said Arthur, looking as though he was ready to leave. 

"Wait. What about those chips you promised me?"

"I promised them, did I?" Arthur asked, looking amused. "From what I know, you ignored my email and didn't actually say you'd wanted to go."

"Well I want to. Go."

"Very well. Let's go to Alfredo's, then."

*

Alfredo's was extremely busy and Merlin thought they were going to have to wait a while before finding a table. Much to his surprise, as soon as the owner saw Arthur, she rushed towards him and gave him a big hug.

"Oh, who is this?" the woman said looking Merlin up and down. The once over made him feel extremely self conscious.

Merlin pulled at his collar, feeling a blush creep up on his cheeks.

"Oh those cheekbones. Arthur, he's adorable!"

Merlin looked at Arthur, helpless. 

"Don't get any ideas, Roberta. This is my associate, Merlin, from work."

Arthur's comment didn't seem to faze her at all. Still, Arthur looked stoic as ever. If anything, Merlin was the one feeling totally embarrassed. He'd wondered if he asked out on a date with Arthur, who was in fact flirting with him earlier — but with the way Arthur looked so resolved, Merlin told himself to wake up. _An associate_.

_Stop dreaming. He doesn't fancy you, and you're not on a date._

"Come on, I have seats for you…" Roberta pulled on Merlin's hand and dragged him deep into the restaurant as Arthur followed them.

In a moment's notice, they were seated in a corner at a tiny table, which probably wouldn't even hold two plates, when two Peronis were placed in front of them. Merlin had had the Italian beer once or twice, and he didn't mind it, even though he wasn't much of a lager drinker. He'd much rather preferred a red wine or a gin and tonic. But he didn't say anything. He wasn't going to be rude. This Roberta woman was clearly very close to Arthur and Arthur was, somewhat, technically his boss.

"Chips!" she screamed at someone as she walked away, leaving Merlin alone with Arthur.

"So, this is quite the place," Merlin said laughing.

"Do you generally prefer something quieter?" Arthur asked; he took a sip of his beer. "I thought you'd been here before." 

"No. This is fine. I don't go out much. I mean, my best friend lives hours away and I see Gwen sometimes after work but you know, it's mostly work and work and then some Netflix for me."

"And the gym," Arthur said.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"The gym. Gwaine says you're obsessed with going to the gym early in the morning."

"Yeah. I'm an early riser. Not a morning person but since I wake up so early and can't go back to sleep, I have to do something productive."

"Right," Arthur said, nodding. "Listen, I'm sorry about how Gwaine's been teasing you lately."

 _Lately?_ Merlin wondered. "How so?"

"I'm afraid it's my fault. I know you two are good friends, but you know, we are also very close."

"How is it your fault?" Merlin asked, and their conversation was interrupted when a huge plate of chips had been between them.

Someone new who looked similar to Roberta but a younger version delivered the chips and kissed Arthur on the forehead. "He's cute!" she said and walked away without a response.

"I shouldn't have told them I was bringing a friend. They all think we're together."

Merlin shrugged as in _what are you going to do?_ So they think they're together, and evidently, Arthur thinks it's a repulsive thought.

"Gwaine's always been kind of a tease. I'm not sure how any of it's is your fault," Merlin said, letting go of the hurt of how Arthur did not fancy him at all.

Arthur chucked. "Maybe. Maybe it's nothing."

"No, tell me."

Arthur looked around for a moment before returning his gaze on Merlin. Merlin held his breath. "Gwaine once asked me, and Gwen, she was there too, who we thought was attractive at the office. Of course, she gave the obvious answer… she was drunk so she didn't think about holding back…" Arthur paused as if he was waiting for Merlin to say something.

"Lance?" Merlin asked, hesitant.

"She doesn't know how to hide it."

"And what did you say?"

This time, for the first time in the evening, Arthur's cheeks pinked. "I was drunk and I couldn't think of anything so I blurted your name. Ever since then, I feel as though Gwaine's been simply baiting you. I feel responsible. It was an impulse reply. I didn't know what to say and I also couldn't say _Lance_ so…"

"Oh," Merlin said, and hated the way disappointment had crept up in his voice. "That's fine. I'm not sure if Gwaine took you seriously. I mean, he finds reasons to tease people all the time."

"Yeah. But, I wanted to say I'm sorry if he goes too far. If you want me or someone else to talk to him. I mean, I don't want our employees to feel harassed, even if you're friends with someone doesn't mean—"

"It's fine, Arthur," Merlin said quickly. "Truly, it's okay. Thank you for taking the time to talk about this with me but you don't have to worry about anything. I'm not going to file a harassment lawsuit—"

"That's not why…" Arthur said with a sigh. "Or you know, another reason for his teasing could be he fancies you."

"Gwaine does _not_ fancy me. He's head over heels for Percy."

"Well, it's normal to fancy more than one person at a time. Especially since Gwaine can't even look at Percy when he's in the room." 

"I know," Merlin said, his eyebrows scrunching, as he felt his face get heated once more. "But, Gwaine is like a brother to me. He knows this and I know this, and there's nothing going on between us."

"It's fine if there was. I'm not saying so because I'm worried about some lawsuit. I could care less."

Merlin didn't reply. He finished the last of his beer and he turned to grab his bag and removed the printout he'd stored there. "This is the order list for the restaurant for the party. Do you think you could give it to your friends—"

"Merlin?" A familiar voice cut through the bustle of the restaurant and Merlin found himself face-to-face with Gwen with Lance right behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"Gwen!" Merlin said as excitedly as he could. "Hi. I'm here with Arthur to place an order for the party."

"Oh," Gwen said looking at Arthur who seemed stoic again. "You know this could've been emailed to the catering account."

"I wanted to thank Merlin for all his hard work so I offered to pay for the chips."

"Like you pay here," Lance said, and Gwen beamed. "We should go, babe, if we're going to make it to the cinema."

"Right. Well, see you later." Gwen looked at Merlin, sheepishly. Before Merlin could get a word in, she and Lance had all but sprinted away.

"I… what was—? Are they a thing?" Merlin asked Arthur, feeling shocked.

"Yes. It's a secret. That's how I know everyone here. Lance and Gwen have been together for about six months now. Not many people know about it, and especially at the office. No one knows besides me."

"Is that why you always flirt with her? So no one can know her secret? I think some people know she fancies Lance but is it all a cover?"

"I don't flirt with her. We are close and we have a banter."

"You flirt. Everyone thinks you flirt."

"Oh. I didn't know. Is that what everyone thinks?"

"Well, yeah. I thought you were gay and I even talked to Gwaine about it—"

"You talked to Gwaine about me?"

"Sure. Everyone talks about you. You're the boss."

"I am not the boss. Morgana is the boss."

Merlin shrugged. "You run things when she's not there."

Arthur looked like he was going to say something else when he and Merlin were interrupted again.

"Are you boys having a good time? Anything else I can get you. Arthur, Fernando made fresh garlic bread. Do you and your boyfriend want to try some? I mean, I know it's _garlic_ —"

"Tessa, He's not my—" Arthur said.

"I'd love some," Merlin answered at the same time. "You know because we're not boyfriends. There will be _no_ kissing tonight." 

Tessa shook her head and walked away as both Arthur and Merlin fell silent for a long moment.

"I have the order," Merlin said abruptly, reaching into his bag again to collect the printout from earlier. "For the Italian food. And the curry, too. If you wanted to go by yourself tomorrow and put the order in. I mean, unless you want me to email the catering account—"

"No, that's fine," Arthur said, taking the paper from Merlin. "I'll take care of it."

The garlic bread arrived along with two more beers and Merlin and Arthur didn't talk much after that. It seemed the news Arthur was there and there with someone else had piqued the interest of the staff at the restaurant and one by one everyone came by to say hello to Arthur and to assess Merlin.

Eventually, Arthur stopped telling them how he and Merlin were not boyfriends because no one seemed to care. Or believe him.

"They seem to hate the idea of you being a single man," said Merlin.

Arthur shook his head. "I've been friends with Lance awhile and ever since he introduced me to his extended family, they've been on my case about getting married. I think especially around Christmas, they don't like seeing me alone. They know my relationship with my father is a bit…strained so they're worried. But I'm fine."

"Are you?"

"What makes you question me?"

"I don't know. The _thought_ of how people in the office think you and Gwen are flirting seemed to upset you a great deal. Your image is important to you. And maybe because of your relationship with your father—"

"Can you not try to pretend like you know me, Merlin."

"I'm not. I'm having a conversation. And if you are done, then fine. I can leave."

"Yeah. I think I'm done," said Arthur.

 _Oh_. "Brilliant," replied Merlin. "Well, I'll be off then. Thank you for your generosity today and bringing me to Alfredo's. I enjoyed it a lot."

Without waiting for a response, Merlin grabbed his things and left.

*

_-W: How was your date with the Dragon fellow?  
-M: It wasn't a date.  
-W: That good huh?  
-M: It was fine. We had chips, a few beers, and then I went home.  
-W: Alone?  
-M: Yes. Alone.  
-W: And what are we going to do to forget about him when I'm there?  
-M: Can't do much. I have to work on Christmas Day.  
-W: WHAT? I AM CALLING YOU RIGHT NOW._

A few seconds later, Merlin's mobile rang and he answered it. 

In the end, Will was very understanding of Merlin's obligations and volunteered to help decorate the office with him and Merlin's mum.

*

"What's with the long face?" Gwaine asked Merlin when he returned to work the next morning. 

"It's nothing," Merlin said, annoyed, not sure if he was cross with Gwaine or in a mood. 

"What's the matter?" 

"Thinking about activities with my mate and when my mum is here. They might come by on Christmas Eve to help decorate the office, but, they'll be without me for Christmas Day." 

"They're not going to come to the party?" 

"Yeah, maybe…" Merlin said, thinking, "but that's in the late afternoon. I'm not going to be there with my family to open presents and do the whole Christmas thing. You know ever since my dad died, I've been trying to spend more time with her—" 

"I know, but it'll be fun. I'm sure we'll have fun activities. Your mate's not going to be bored, if you're worried about that." 

"Yeah…" Merlin said absentmindedly. 

"So tell me what did I do to piss you off?" 

Merlin was taken aback by the question. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, I can tell there's something…" 

Merlin rolled his eyes, and he grabbed Gwaine by his elbow and lead him to the closest empty office. "Do you make fun of me more now because Arthur told you he thought I was… I don't know attractive or something?" Merlin couldn't remember the words exactly from the night before but it was something like that. 

Gwaine started to laugh wholeheartedly and Merlin only got more annoyed. 

"Stop it." 

Gwaine continued laughing. "Sorry. I didn't think when it was all revealed, it would be _this_ funny." 

"What's funny?" 

"Arthur's jealous." 

"What? No. It's not like that." 

"Right. You fancy him and—" 

"I don't fancy him." 

"Yes, you do. Maybe you don't realise it, but you're always staring at him. And he clearly feels something too. I mean, every time I flirt with you, he looks so pissed off. I think that's why he flirts with Gwen so much—"

"He said that's not what he's doing and besides, Gwen's with…" Merlin stopped himself; he didn't wish to reveal a secret which wasn't his. 

"Yes?" Gwaine's interest became evident. 

"Nothing. It's not like you fancy her." 

"I don't. I know she has a secret—it's so obvious. She always looks like she's going to tell me something and then changes her mind." 

"So are you going to ask Percy to come and help us decorate on Christmas Eve?" 

Gwaine's reaction to Merlin's question was almost comical. He seemed taken aback and Merlin couldn't help it, he threw his head back and laughed, and when he was going to say something to Gwaine, Arthur walked in. 

"Sorry if I'm interrupting…" 

"Not at all!" Gwaine said, sounding delighted. "I was about to _kill_ Merlin but you seemed to have saved his life." 

"Oh…" Arthur said, looking grave. "Trouble in paradise?" 

Arthur's look was serious, and Merlin was sure Gwaine did not know what he was talking about. Arthur didn't like Merlin. He didn't like him at all. 

Merlin bit the inside of his cheek and looked away. He took a step away from Gwaine and spoke, "I need to get back to work." 

"Merlin, I…uh…" Arthur sounded unsure. "I need the orders for the curry place—" 

"Yeah, I'll email you as soon as I get to my desk." Hadn't he handed them to Arthur the night before? Merlin didn't ask. 

"And about the Christmas Eve decorations…" Arthur began to say. 

"Yeah, I'll be here. Gwen should have the decorations in after Morgana leaves on the twenty third and we'll have it all set up for Christmas morning. My Mum and a few friends are going to help us also. I figured since you said staff doesn't need to be bothered with the burden of extra work, I recruited a few volunteers." 

"More than your mum and Will then?" Arthur asked, looking curious. 

"Yeah. My mate Percy, and maybe _Lance_ too…" 

"The water guy?" Gwaine asked, his voice high-pitched. Merlin was certain Gwaine didn't miss the bit about Percy, for sure. 

Merlin, in fact, had not asked Lance to help with decorating yet, but he figured he could ask Gwen to pass along the message. It wouldn't be totally weird if they made it look like Merlin asked him. He was, after all, on the party committee. Besides, even as an afterthought, Merlin reckoned it would be cool Gwen could spend Christmas Eve with her boyfriend. 

Arthur stared at Merlin for a long while and then he finally said, "Right. Cool." 

Merlin unable to control his reactions, scrunched up his nose and furrowed his eyebrows to look at Arthur. 

"What are you two hiding?" Gwaine asked. 

"Nothing," both Arthur and Merlin said at the same time. 

_Right. Totally not dubious at all, Merlin._

Without a word, Merlin left Arthur and Gwaine behind, and headed to his computer. He needed to text Percy and ask him if he was free on Christmas Eve.

*

Will and Merlin's mum arrived on the twenty third of December and Merlin was excited to greet them. He'd done all of his grocery shopping in advance so he could have an early Christmas dinner with his two favourite people in the world and have at least one stress-free day. 

"So what kind of job _forces_ you to come in on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?" Hunith asked disapprovingly. "Maybe I need to have a conversation with the CEO of your company, Merlin." 

Merlin wanted to roll his eyes. His mother always was extremely overprotective. 

"Well, we're not exactly a for-profit company, Mum. So we have to do work when it's busy. All of our volunteers and phone operators are giving up personal time to deal with any crisis so the rest of us can do something nice for them. And, Morgana is a very nice person. The party's for her because she's having a tough time right now." 

"You're too kind, Merlin. I can't believe Arthur is okay with this." She had an indecipherable expression on her face as she returned to cutting her chicken on her plate. 

"Oh, so you know Arthur well?" Will chimed in as if right on cue. 

"Yes, of course. Merlin's talked about him in the past. He seems to be a very reasonable young man." 

At that, Merlin scoffed. 

"What? Did I… say something wrong?" 

"No, it's fine," said Merlin. 

"Please, tell us more about Arthur, Merlin," Will teased. 

"No, I don't think I will," Merlin replied. 

"Why not? You seemed to have such a crush on him the last time we spoke." Hunith sounded extremely concerned when she spoke about Arthur. "Did something happen?" 

"I don't have a crush on him!" Merlin protested. "When did I ever tell you that?" 

"You didn't have to. A mother knows. I know you've fancied him a while and you don't want to ever go on a date with anyone else, and every time I talked about you getting a boyfriend, you somehow made the conversation about work and Arthur. So you know, it wasn't terribly difficult to deduce—" 

"There's nothing to deduce. I do not fancy him." 

"And what about Italian restaurant date you had with him?" Will helpfully asked. 

"It wasn't a date. We simply went to try the food at Alfredo's before placing an order for the party." 

"Right…" Will said, sounding sceptical. 

"Oh a date? Did he kiss you?" Hunith asked. 

"Mother!" 

"It's fine. I'll talk to Arthur when I see him tonight," she said. 

"Please do not speak to Arthur about this, Mum. I'm begging you. I don't fancy him, and he's the Chief Operating Officer's son and Morgana - our team leader's brother. I can't— I'd like to keep my job." 

Merlin looked from Will to Hunith and then back at Will. "Promise me, neither one of you will say anything to Arthur. Promise. Or I won't take you to the office to help with the decorations. You'll have to spend Christmas Eve alone here." 

Merlin's threat was real. He didn't want any more trouble at work than he already had. He felt like he'd made a fool of himself in front of Arthur thanks to Gwaine, he didn't need Will and his mother intervening, as well. 

*

Merlin convinced Will to take his car and drive his mum to the office while he went to pick up Percy. Percy had agreed to help on Christmas Eve as he didn't have much going on himself. His family was on a trip to Australia and even though he'd wanted to go, he couldn't because of being on call at hospital. Merlin was glad he could see his friend since he'd not been called in. Further on the plus side, he wanted see Gwaine squirm. 

By the time they arrived at Merlin's office, the tree decorating was in full-swing. Percy excused himself to go to the loo and told Merlin he would join the festivities in a few minutes. Merlin noticed a few operators waiting by the phones, but everyone else seemed to be having fun with Will and Hunith. Merlin walked into the main corridor and was greeted by Gwaine. 

"Gwen and Vivian haven't left your mum's side. Your mate walked in with her and they all got to work." 

Merlin wanted to ask where Arthur was but decided against it. He wasn't going to give Gwaine the pleasure, especially since, Gwaine was in for a surprise himself. 

"Arthur's up in his office," Gwaine said, and Merlin had to wonder if he'd spoken his thoughts out loud. 

"Oh?" 

"I think he's afraid of your mum," Gwaine said, laughing. "And, maybe he didn't expect Will to be so hot." 

"Will's not hot." 

Gwaine raised an eyebrow and then looked from Merlin to Gwaine. "Do you not see what everyone else sees?" 

Merlin looked at Will with the eyes of a stranger. What if Will wasn't like a brother to him, how would he look? He had dirty blond hair sort of sweeping across his forehead, he wore dark blue jeans making his arse look _acceptable_ , maybe someone would call attractive, even. His black, v-neck jumper made it evident Will like to spend time at the gym… So, okay, maybe his friend was hot. 

"He's straight," Merlin said. "Do you think he's jealous?" The words escaped Merlin before he could catch himself. _Shit_. 

"Do you want him to be?" Gwaine asked with an eyebrow raised. Merlin turned to look at his friend and retort when he noticed Gwaine was staring at something or somewhere over Merlin's shoulder. "What's he doing— You didn't—"

"Oh yeah, I brought Percy along." 

"Hey, Gwaine. It's been a while." Percy came to stand next to Merlin and he smiled down at Gwaine. 

Merlin watched Gwaine's face go into panic mode. "Hello, Percival. How are you?" and then he cringed immediately. "I mean, you look well. Must be well—"

Merlin bit the inside of his cheek trying not to laugh. He was finally getting his revenge! 

"Wait, my mobile's buzzing…" Gwaine took out his mobile from his pocket and looked at it. "Arthur's calling me. I'll be back." And then he was gone leaving Percy and Merlin silent. 

"What was that about?" Percy asked Merlin, looking confused. "I thought he might be happy to see me. I mean, we used to be close—"

"I don't know. You know Gwaine is so strange…" 

"Yeah," Percy said, sounding disappointed. "I'd hoped to catch up with him." 

"And ask him out for coffee?" 

Percy shrugged. "Or a pint." 

"You should have asked him out ages ago. It would have put the poor bloke out of his misery." 

"I…" Percy hesitated. "I know you've hinted several times he might feel the same way, but…I don't want to ruin a friendship if there's nothing there." 

"What friendship? The bloke avoids you like the plague." Merlin rolled his eyes. "You two are going to be dancing circles around each other for the rest of your lives." 

"Sort of like you and Arthur?" Will came around the corner and wrapped his arms around Merlin's shoulder. "You know, I've been doing some digging. People around think you and Arthur will definitely make a power couple." 

"We work together," said Merlin. 

"Now who is in denial?" Will said, laughing. He offered his hand to Percy to shake it, and greeted him. "Come say hi to Hunith." Will dragged Percy away, leaving Merlin puzzled. 

_It would be totally weird to date someone at the office. Don't even entertain the idea, Merlin._

"I'm going to go and find Gwaine to come and help…" Merlin said to no one in particular, and no one seemed to be paying any attention to him, anyway. He decided to head up to Arthur's office. 

*

Walking around the office for what seemed like ages, Merlin couldn't find Gwaine (or Arthur) anywhere. He sighed and looked down to the ground level from the balcony and saw his co-workers having a great time sipping on sparkling wine, decorating the tree, and singing along badly to songs with Percy, Will, and his mother. _I should be down there with them_ , he thought, _instead of looking for…_ He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Why did he care? 

_Because you fancy him. Because you look forward to seeing him every day when you come in the office._

Merlin groaned, telling himself to _Shut up!_ and decided to join the festivities. The caterers would be arriving soon and he did not need to be in a bad mood because of some bloke that couldn't even be bothered to join his own company's party. Maybe he understood why Gwaine was hiding—but why Arthur? Was it in solidarity? 

He turned around to walk towards the stairs to go to the ground level when he saw the light in Uther's office on. Uther had the corner office on the second floor, and since he wasn't expected in today, it was odd the lights were on. Instead of going _downstairs_ to the party, Merlin decided to take the stairs one flight up. Not much to his surprise, he found Gwaine and Arthur on the sofa in the office with a bottle of Jack Daniels between them. 

"So, this is a development." Merlin spoke the words after he'd walked in, cleared his throat, and took a look around. "You know there's no cleaning service scheduled for the holiday— Do you plan on picking this all up yourself?" 

Gwaine waived a hand in the air but Arthur sat up. 

"It isn't terrible. I'm sure we can manage," Arthur replied with a firm tone but he didn't quite meet Merlin's eye. "How's your mate?" 

"Mates," said Merlin. "Will _and_ Percy are having a great time downstairs gossipping with _your_ subordinates." 

"Percy's here?" Arthur seemed to perk up. Then realisation dawned on him and he looked at Gwaine, "Is that why _you're_ here?" 

" **What is going on**?" 

Uther's commanding voice seemed to make the windows shake but Merlin was certain it was only his imagination. 

"Father." Arthur stood up and nodded curtly. Merlin saw Arthur flex his hand and turn it into a fist and then place it in his pocket—otherwise, he seemed calm and cool as a cucumber. 

_That's some acting_.

"Arthur!" Morgana spoke with delight as she came into the room and giving Arthur a hug before kissing Gwaine on the cheek. "Why is everyone here?" 

"Uh… Hey, sis. Didn't think you were going to be coming in on Christmas Eve…?" 

"I had paperwork to finish up and I wanted it to get it done and submitted to the Board by the end of this week. Even if they don't check their emails until next year, I want to be able to say our end of the year numbers, and documents are all in order. You know how the Board can be."

"Still, it's Christmas Eve," said Arthur. 

"And you're here. I had expected you to join us for dinner—"

"We're doing all this for the team, of course," Gwaine quickly said. "We wanted to throw you and the staff a party because we knew you were coming in _tomorrow_ to work the phones. You're so gracious with giving your staff the time off if they needed it and we wanted to make it special for you!" 

"Thanks!" Morgana said smiling but her eyes were starting to tear up. "It's been difficult without Leon. I mean, I know it's terrible— he's out there doing good but—"

"It's understandable you miss him," Uther said, his voice still firm and deep. "Why don't you join the team downstairs and we'll catch up." 

Morgana nodded once, she looked at Merlin and grinned, and then headed out of the office. 

Merlin didn't know if he should have stayed or left after her. He chanced a glance at Gwaine who looked like he would rather be downstairs facing Percy than Uther right now. 

"I have to say, I am most disappointed, Arthur." 

Merlin's head shot up and he looked at Arthur then at Uther, and then back at Arthur. Uther's declaration was surprising. Arthur had been working a lot to make this party a success. If anything, Uther brought Morgana to the office when he was supposed to be at home with her. How was he such an unreasonable man? 

Arthur's only reaction was a slight roll of his eyes. "What else is a surprise, Father?" 

"I expected everything to be ready and presentable for Morgana, and instead, we walk into this chaotic carousel. No one is actually doing any decorations—"

"It's Christmas Eve, Father. People are having a good time. There's going to be food delivered and they're having a bit of fizzy drinks. What's the big deal? You can't expect people to have fun while they are decorating their _work place_ on Christmas Eve when they should be home with their families?" Arthur's voice was challenging and Merlin could tell things were now only going to escalate. 

"It's my fault, sir," Merlin chimed in, unable to stop himself, without even knowing what he was doing. 

"Excuse me? Who are you?" 

"Merlin Emrys, Mr Pendragon. Development and Data. I was saying it's my fault we're behind schedule. Unfortunately, we weren't expecting you in today, and have managed to employ a few volunteers but failed on the time management part. If anyone's at fault, it's me, Sir. We can go downstairs and get everything squared away immediately. I think it'll help Ms Morgana is here now—it'll certainly help with the morale."

"So you're the one I'll have to sack—"

"Father," Arthur said as if in warning. 

"Very well. Clean this all up and meet me downstairs in five minutes. There's a surprise for Morgana—"

Uther didn't get to finish whatever Morgana's surprise was going to be, _yet another surprise for Morgana_ — Merlin was starting to see why Arthur found this all highly annoying— because Morgana's scream reached them to the second floor. 

It didn't sound like it was in horror though. 

"What's happening?" Arthur asked, rushing out of the office and Merlin and Gwaine followed. They headed one floor down and paused as they saw, who Merlin recognised as Leon, on one knee. 

"He's early," Uther said, sounding even more annoyed. "Does no one ever do anything on time or adequately around here?"

"What's going on?" Arthur asked looking at Merlin. 

Merlin shrugged a _how the fuck am I supposed to know_? shrug. 

"This was why we're here today. Leon informed me of his surprise for Morgana as he was back in town and was going to get ready to propose. He wishes to take Morgana to spend Christmas Day with his family. I've been calling you all day, Arthur—"

"My fault again, sir," Merlin said. "I had borrowed Arth—Mr Pendragon's mobile charger and his phone's been dead all day." 

Uther raised an eyebrow at Merlin and then gave a sceptical look to Arthur. "You're sure in Development and not Arthur's secretary?" He scoffed at the three of them and walked away. 

"You didn't have to do that," Arthur said, looking sternly at Merlin. There was something in his eyes Merlin couldn't read, but his tone was hard enough Merlin didn't want to spend time interpreting it all. 

"I didn't do it for you," Merlin snapped. "I don't have time to be involved in whatever father-son drama you have going on. First of all, you weren't even downstairs with the whole party— you're drinking in _his_ office— and then you were willing to start a fight with him rather than take one for the team. It's fucking Christmas." 

"I have been taking _one for the team_ for as long as I can remember, _Mer_ lin." 

"Guys…can we not?" Gwaine tried to interrupt but Merlin raised his hand to shut him up. 

"What exactly is your problem, Arthur?" Merlin asked, and feeling bold, took a step towards Arthur, looking him in the eye. "Why do you work here if you hate all of us so much? At one point you seem aloof, then you want to pay for the whole catering, and then you want to hide in Daddy's office because you're too good for all of us?" 

"Guys…" Gwaine tried again but this time Arthur gestured, _just one minute_.

Arthur was so close to him, Merlin could smell the faint whiff of Jack Daniels. He should have been repulsed. He wasn't a whiskey guy, but, something about being so close to Arthur and… Merlin's eyes betrayed him and they landed on Arthur's lips: tiny but full, pouty, and wet. Merlin licked his lower lip and then bit it, only to realise— _Shit_ , he'd just done that. 

" _Guys_?" Gwaine's voice again. 

"Fine," Merlin said, trying to sound resolute. He stood up straight, because evidently he'd also started arch into Arthur's space, and took a step back. "Very well, Mr Pendragon. Sorry I overreached and placed myself into your family dispute. Won't happen again." He quickly turned around, his heart beating a million miles per second, and sprinted down the steps. 

When he reached his friends, both Percy and Will looked at him strangely. 

"What was that about?" Will asked. 

"You looked like you were about to snog each other." 

Merlin scowled. "Fuck them," he whispered. "I need a bloody drink." Merlin grabbed Percy by the arm and leaned into him. "Play along, friend." 

Percy, as if on cue, threw his head back and laughed. They walked away from common area and Merlin led them to the kitchen. Thankfully, because of Leon's surprise proposal, almost everyone was paying attention to Morgana, including Uther. Merlin hoped they'd all missed the little exchange between him and Arthur except for his friends.

Merlin spent the rest of the evening with Will, Percy, and his mother helping in tree and office decorations and then placing the presents under the tree. Everyone was getting the same gift—a MasterCard gift card— but Vivian and others spent their time beautifully decorating each card box and writing all the employees' names on them. 

After what ended up being a long and excruciatingly tiring evening, Merlin decided to call it a night. Morgana and Leon were still at the office, sipping wine and thanking everyone for making their evening so special. Merlin stayed clear of Uther, Arthur, and Gwaine by hanging on Percy's arm all evening. 

"So, I'll see you at home?" Will asked loud enough for everyone to know Merlin was leaving with Percy while Will was driving his mum home. 

"Yeah, see you in a bit," Merlin said, frowning. 

"Oh, take your time. No rush over here." Will winked at Merlin and Percy started to laugh finding it all very entertaining, apparently. 

Merlin wanted to die. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep forever and not come back to work until the New Year, but he knew that wasn't an option. 

*

After having a restless and fitful night's sleep, Merlin woke up groggy and annoyed. Mostly, he was annoyed with himself for letting Arthur get to him. Arthur wasn't exactly his boss but he was still a co-worker he had to see day in and out, and especially today. Christmas Day.

 _Happy Christmas, Merlin_. He sighed and got out of bed and stumbled into the shower. There was a shriek he heard like no other which woke him right the fuck up. Will was stepping out with a towel around his waist.

"Oh, for bloody sake!" Merlin growled. "You know we have another guest bathroom, why do you have to use my en suite?"

"Your shower has better water pressure. You know this…Why're you all pissed off at me because you had a fight with your little boyfriend?"

"He's not my—" Merlin didn't even dignify that retort with a comment of his own. He simply pushed Will out of the way and began getting undressed. "You better behave today," he said and closed the shower door behind him. 

"Yes, your highness," replied Will.

*

After a quick breakfast, Merlin sent a text to Percy asking him if he was free to come to the office party, as well. He was relatively good friends with Morgana so Merlin was sure Uther wouldn't mind if he'd tag along. Percy replied saying he was busy at the moment but he'd pop by later.

When they got to the office, it was still quiet. The early morning staff was on the phones, otherwise, people were either huddled over by the coffee pot, or on their own phones.

"The decorations look amazing," Will said, walking into the big space where the tree had been lit up. "I mean, I know I was here last night and it was gorgeous but — wow! Happy Christmas, indeed. Maybe I should try to get a job here so we can do this again next year."

"I am not spending next Christmas at the office, thank you!" Merlin said, making a face. But he knew Will was right. Everyone had pulled together strong, and it looked fantastic.

" _Hopefully, Morgana won't decide to give birth here next year, so maybe we can have a proper holiday_."

Merlin started at the voice coming from behind him and he was genuinely surprised to see Arthur in a good mood.

"Hi…" he mumbled.

"Hi," said Arthur.

For some reason, foolish that he was, Merlin felt like they were the only two people in the room. Arthur didn't seem totally cross with him. 

"You know, we're also standing _right here_ ," Will said, helpfully.

Merlin rolled his eyes and before he could say anything, Arthur walked up to them.

"I'm Arthur," he offered his hand to Merlin's mum and she took it. "Sorry, I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself yesterday. You must be Hunith. Everyone here's been raving about what a kind person you were yesterday and how you helped with the decorations. And you even gave some good advice to one of our phone operators."

"You did?" Merlin asked, surprised.

Hunith nodded gently. Merlin's mum was the kindest person he'd known and the fact that she was being so humble about being helpful yesterday, was not a surprise to him at all.

"I'm Will," Will said cutting in. "You didn't meet me yesterday, either. I'm Merlin's best mate."

"It's great to meet you too. And if you'd like, I am sure we can set up an interview for you. I know Merlin would love for you to be living closer to him."

Will's eyes widened in surprise and Merlin knew how he felt. Who was this Arthur and what happened to the arse from yesterday?

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to wrap up some last minute gifts for some of my favourite employees," Arthur said with a shy smile Merlin didn't recognise.

Around him, Arthur was either reserved or cocky, but never _shy_.

"Merlin, if you wouldn't mind stopping by in a few?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure," Merlin said lamely. He scowled at Will when he'd started to snigger.

"What'd you think that's about?" Will asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he'll apologise for being an arse last night," said Merlin.

"Well, you were argumentative as well, son," said Hunith.

"Yes, mum," replied Merlin.

*

When enough time had passed, Merlin thought, he made his way to Arthur's office.

"Hi, is this an okay time?" he knocked on the open door and walked into Arthur's office.

Arthur nodded and then immediately got up off his chair. "Yes, please. Come on, and close the door behind you, if you don't mind."

Merlin obeyed the request and a moment later, was face-to-face with Arthur.

"Listen, I wanted to say I'm sorry…" Arthur said with a sigh. "I was kind of an arse yesterday. I was ju—there's …there's no excuse and I don't want to…"

"What?" Merlin asked softly. "Is it…your mum?"

Arthur had been looking at Merlin's hand when he was speaking but at Merlin's question, he immediately looked into Merlin's eyes. "Uh…"

"I miss my dad a lot during the holidays, too. I mean, it's usually okay because my mum is wonderful and I have Will… But I can't even imagine for you because… I mean… Uther." Merlin sort of half-shrugged and Arthur immediately started to laugh.

"I'm not saying your behaviour was excused but I understand. And I'm sorry too. I was yelling at you and trying to boss you and Gwaine around when I honestly needed to chill the fuck out, you know? I realised this morning…"

"It was hot though…" Arthur said, and Merlin was once again, surprised by Arthur's reaction. He tried hard to read Arthur's face but Arthur wasn't giving anything away.

"I'm sorry, wha…?"

"It was hot. You _trying_ to boss me around. I sort of like the way you argue with me. I mean…it's better than when we're in the office and we barely talk."

"H—Hot?"

Arthur bit his lower lip and then looked away for a brief second. "I have something for you," he said and reached into his pocket to reveal a small box wrapped in Christmas paper.

"For me?" Honestly, Merlin needed to say more than one or two words.

"Yeah. Gift for my favourite employees, remember?"

"I'm one of them?"

"Well, you're the only one… so yeah."

"But, I didn't get you anything."

"That's okay," Arthur said, "That's not why. I…I bought it a while ago and never got a chance to give it to you and with Christmas and us being here—I figured it was the best time. Right?"

"Should I open it?"

"If you want to. I want to see your reaction. I mean, it's nothing speci—"

Merlin frantically began to rip the paper off the box and then immediately opened it.

"Or…dive right into it, then."

Merlin opened a small velvet box and found a small USB drive — but it was dragon-shaped with golden coloured metal swerving around the base of the stick with little shiny rhinestones. 

"It's silly, I know…"

"It's gorgeous," said Merlin. "Where did you get it? I haven't seen anything like it. I mean, _Doctor Who_ …TARDIS or Dalek sure but…"

"I was in London Chinatown a few weeks ago with some mates from Uni, and we went to this shop. I mean, the memory stick has a lot of names and one of them is: _Dragon Pendrive_ , and I know you like to back up your data on flash drives along with the cloud and—"

"A pendrive from a Pendragon," Merlin said, almost whimsical. "It's poetic."

"Yeah?" Arthur asked, his voice still unsure.

"It's perfect."

"Thanks," Arthur said. "And yeah, sorry about fighting with you yesterday—"

"That's all right. It was hot." Merlin wanted to wink but he managed to bite his lower lip.

Arthur let out a small bark and ran his hand through his hair. "It was, wasn't it?"

"I could give you a kiss in return," Merlin said. It was something he'd fantasised about saying to Arthur for a long time. Not in those words exactly, but he had fantasised about kissing Arthur so it was all the same.

"And that would be my perfect Christmas present."

Arthur took a step closer to Merlin and Merlin couldn't help but smirk. He leaned in closer, hoping Arthur would meet him halfway, and he did.

It was soft at first. Arthur had started to pull away but Merlin quickly grabbed the front of Arthur's shirt and brought him closer. He knew what he liked. He knew what he wanted so he pressed harder, thrusting his tongue in Arthur's mouth, who parted his lips and let Merlin in. Arthur sucked on Merlin's tongue, moaning around it, and his arms went around Merlin's waist, keeping them together.

Merlin ground his hips against Arthur's and this time, he moaned when he felt Arthur's erection through his jeans pressed against his own.

"Fuck, we should stop," Arthur said, pulling back.

"Right. Sorry. I didn't mean to…" Merlin's heart was pounding and he felt foolish for letting it get too far. A kiss for one thing, and what he was doing, was something else entirely. 

"No. I mean…Fuck, Merlin, I don't want to stop. And you shouldn't have to apologise for _that_. It's what I've wanted…"

"You have?" Merlin asked, surprised.

There was a knock at the door and Gwaine walked in with Percy right behind him. Will wasn't too far off either.

"Ah. Who owes me twenty quids now?" Gwaine said looking at Percy and Will.

Merlin looked at Arthur whose hair was dishevelled and his lips swollen from kissing. He reckoned he more or less looked the same.

"Wait…what are you two doing together?" Merlin asked, running his fingers through his hair, hoping he was fixing it. He looked at Gwaine and Percy, and no, he hadn't missed how they were standing curiously very close to each other.

"Gwaine spent the night with him," Arthur leaned close and whispered in Merlin's ear, and Merlin immediately gasped.

"You slut!" he accused.

"You should talk," Will said from behind them. He seemed too tiny standing next to the two giants.

"I…we were…Arthur was kind enough to give me my Christmas present," Merlin said, struggling and he lifted up the present to show his friends. As if yes, that was all they were doing. There was no snogging and trying to feel each other, at all. 

"Was the present in his trousers?" Gwaine asked and Merlin wanted to kill him.

"No. But, I did sleep in my own bed last night, Gwaine. Where were you? Did I truly need to make you super jealous to finally get you to make a move?"

"Actually, I phoned him," Percy said. "Told him to come over."

"Apparently, it was all he needed to hear," said Arthur.

"So, I stand by my earlier statement. _Slut_." Merlin winked at Gwaine and then crossed the distance between them to pull on his arm. "Come on, let's go downstairs. You can tell me everything." 

*

"Are you running away?" Gwaine asked Merlin when they were back on the ground floor and surrounded by co-workers and friends. 

Merlin shook his head. "No. Maybe." 

"What happened? I mean, you two were snogging right? When we came in…"

Merlin shrugged. "Too much of a good thing? Or something…?" 

"What do you mean?" Gwaine asked, looking concerned. "I know you fancy him. And he's finally admitted his feelings to you too, or I hope he did in so many words. He gave you that USB drive that you keep fiddling with." 

Merlin raised an eyebrow at him. "He's had the fucking thing in his office since forever. He told me it was for you…the same night when he was drunk and told me he found you attractive—" 

Merlin took in a deep breath. "It's one thing to like him…I'm worried since we work together. What if it ends up being casual and I'd want more, or…" 

"You're in love with him?" Gwaine said, thankfully in a hushed tone. "That's why you're freaking out." 

Merlin sighed and his gaze followed Percy across the room. "And you? Showed up this morning with your new man and all…" 

"Well, I was afraid to make the first move—but evidently you said something to him and now I'm not looking back. You shouldn't either." 

Merlin nodded again and before he could say anything, the catering arrived, and he excused himself to help Gwen set up the food in the conference room. When lunch was ready to be served, Merlin didn't see Arthur at all. Maybe he was hiding too. 

He sat with Will and his mum and enjoyed the Italian food as they talked. Merlin was glad his friend and Hunith were having a good time at the party and chatting with folks at the office. 

"This is one Christmas dinner I don't have to clean up after," Hunith said giddily, to which both Will and Merlin laughed. 

Morgana was still at the centre of attention for the party and Merlin was glad for it. No one was paying attention to him and his mini-freakout. Gwaine confronting him with the fact that his feelings for Arthur were more than a crush—was something he wasn't prepared for. 

_And damn, Arthur was a good kisser_. Merlin's mind kept rewinding that kiss, and how it made him feel. How close their bodies had been pressed together and when they moaned, Merlin didn't know if it was him or Arthur expressing pleasure. 

*

"What are you doing here hiding?" 

Merlin was standing in the staff kitchen staring into space when Arthur walked in. 

"Not hiding," Merlin said with a smile. "Just thinking about stuff." 

"Good stuff or bad stuff?" asked Arthur. 

Merlin shrugged. Will and his mum had left and returned to Merlin's flat to rest. He was due to go home in an hour and start drinking. It was how he dealt with things: drinking alone and overthinking everything. 

A skeleton crew was still going to cover the office for a few hours a day, otherwise, no one was due back to work until the third of January. 

"Pondering the ramifications of crossing the professional boundary," Merlin said. 

"Ah…heavy stuff," said Arthur, and Merlin laughed. "You shouldn't have to do anything you don't want to do." 

Merlin smiled and he stood up straight to look Arthur in the eye. "My first instinct is to run away," he said. 

"Mind if we run away together, then?" Arthur asked, taking a step closer to Merlin. 

Merlin stiffened up, nervous, but tried not to show it. This was the employee kitchen area, anyone could have easily walked in and see them. This was very different from the privacy of Arthur's office. 

"You want to? Run away together, I mean?" Merlin asked, dumbfounded. 

"Why not? My mate's got an empty bungalow near the mountains. I was planning on going there for a quiet New Year's Eve. You could always join me. That is if you're free. Not sure if you have any plans with Wil—"

"No, we don't have any plans. Will's going to go back…" Merlin felt his throat dry, he was so nervous, and Arthur was so close! 

"Well, that's fortunate. For me, at least." Arthur smiled and placed his hand on Merlin's shoulder. "This okay?" 

"Ye—Yeah…" Merlin said. "If people at work found out, there'd sure be gossip." 

"Find out that we're hanging out?" 

"Yeah, it'll give a sort of _impression_." 

"Will it now?" Arthur asked, sounding amused. "What sort of impression, then?"

"I don't know, they might think we're having a secret relationship." 

"Is that a terrible idea then? The notion of being in a relationship with me?" 

Merlin laughed. "No, it's not a terrible idea at all, actually." 

Arthur squeezed Merlin's shoulder lightly, and spoke, "And is it a terrible idea that I want to kiss you?" 

Merlin leaned into Arthur's touch and caught Arthur's intense gaze on his lips. He bit his lower lip and then answered: "It's only terrible if we ever stop kissing." 

"That's good to know. I was afraid you'd changed your mind given how you hastened out of the office with Gwaine…" 

"I was…afraid," Merlin said, hesitant. He was uncertain about sharing his insecurities with Arthur. "About what it meant." 

"I am not sure I know where this would go but I can tell you something for certain, Merlin," Arthur said, and paused, waiting for a reaction from Merlin. When Merlin nodded once, he continued, "I wouldn't kiss someone in the office on a fluke. I wouldn't start something casual at work if it didn't have meaning. First of all, it's totally not professional, I mean, it is my father's company; and second, dating at work is an awkward ordeal. So yeah, I fancy you. I've wanted to kiss you for awhile now, and I'd like to take you out on a proper date."

Merlin didn't reply. He felt as though no reply was needed. He leaned in closer, and met Arthur's lips for a gentle kiss. It was quickly over because he knew both he and Arthur were conscious of where they were standing. 

"Thank you for telling me that," Merlin said softly. 

Arthur chuckled low, and it was sexy as fuck. "The last thing I want is to have been running around in circles for years like Gwaine and Percival. Our work is about communication and comfort. So if I'm not practising that in my own life, then what are we doing?"

"You're smarter than you look," Merlin said. "I can see why you have that posh office now." 

"Well, in that case…" Arthur leaned in close to Merlin and whispered in his ear. "Want to go back to my office for a mini-snog session." 

"Before we run away for New Year's?" 

"Exactly," Arthur said taking a step back. "Before we run away for New Year's." 

THE END.


End file.
